Vessel closure



Feb. 3. 1925 v 1, 25,109

S. C. VESSY VESSEL CLOSURE 'ori inai Fild Oct. 28. 1918 Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY C. VESSY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ANCHOR CA]? & CLOSURE CORPORATION, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VESSEL CLOSURE.

Original application filed October 28, 1918, Serial No. 259,975. Divided and this application filed January To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY C. VnssY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vessel Closures, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to the packaging art, and relates particularly to a form of closure for packing vessels or receptacles, such as jars, cans and the like, commonly employed for the packing of food-stuffs and other commodities.

The present application constitutes a divi sion of my copending application Serial No. 259,975, filed October 28th, 1918 for method and apparatus for sealing containers, wherein are claimed the machine and the method for forming the seal or package closure eonstituting the subject matter of the present application.

The general purpose of the present invention is the provision of a closure for packing vessels which is effective to form a secure hermetic seal which will protect the contents of the package from polution, which is adapted to be utilized on vessels of the types now commonly in use, which may be economically employed, and which may be dislodged with comparative ease to permit opening of the package.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a closure of the sort described which is particularly adapted to be formed on the vessel by a spinning operation.

A further specific object of the invention is the provision of a closure having the characteristics above specified, which may be employed effectively in packages wherein the sealing surface of the vessel is straight, that is, is not equipped with some special seal retaining feature such as a shoulder, ledge, bead, groove, or the like.

A still further specific object of the invention is the provision of such a closure wherein the compression of the sealing charge may be varied, as desired, among different packages formed with similar vessels and caps.

Another specific object of the invention is the provision of such a closure wherein a sealing charge of compressible material is Serial No. 532,601.

utilized to effect the hermetic seal between the vessel and the cover, and in which sealing charge the compression forces which retain it in effective cooperation with the vessel and cover, are concentrated or directed toward a common sealing zone.

Another specific object of the invention is the provision ofsuch a closure wherein the entire sealing charge is held under compressive forces, so as to contribute to the closeness and effectiveness of the hermetic seal.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious from the following disclo sure of an illustrative embodiment and the drawings forming a part thereof, or pointed out hereinafter or indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic detail in the nature of a vertical section through portions of a contain'er and cooperating cap illustrating the relationship of parts at the beginning of the operation of forming the seal.

Figures 2 and 3 are similar views illus trating further progressive steps in the formation of the seal.

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the position of parts at the completion of the seal, and

Figure 5 is an el-evational view of the completed package of which the closure forms a part.

In the packing industry, it is an essential consideration that the covers or caps utilized in closing packing vessels be susceptible of application thereto, to form a complete pack age, with a minimum of labor and handling of the package or parts thereof, and, where frangible packing vessels are utilized, that the closures and seals be susceptible of ap plication thereto without subjecting the vessels to liability of breakage. The first of these considerations is subserved by the provision of covers which may be supplied to the packer in condition for immediate application to the vessels without any assembling of parts thereof; and the last mentioned consideration is subserved by the provision of closures whereby secure hermetic seals may be formed by a spinning operation upon the closure, which is effective to compress the sealing charge upon the vessel progressively under a pressure which is much less than the amount of pressure requisite to compress the entire charge about the vessel simultaneously.

The present invention secures these advantages in the provision of a closure in which the sealing charge is handled as a part of the cover in the sealing operation, and by the provision of a form of seal which may be effectively applied and formed on the vessel by a spinning operation.

Described generally, the invention contemplates a suitable receptacle or vessel which has a substantially incompressible peripheral wall for the reception of a seal, and a cover designed to close the vessel and having a ductile portion forming a constraining member arranged to encompass the vessel wall over the sealing zone. Vithin said ductile portion is confined a suitable sealing charge of compressible elastic material which, by deformation of the ductile portion by the spinning operation, is compressed against the vessel wall so that its form is changed with the result that the compression forces induced in the elastic sealing material due to such deformation are concentrated in a common zone under the ductile member and. extending continuously about the vessel. These concentrated compression forces are retained by the elasticity of the sealing material, so that a permanent and secure seal is produced.

The invention will be understood more specifically by reference to the drawings, wherein the container or vessel 2 here shown as a glass or vitreous jar or tumbler, and a cap 1 which may be conveniently formed of sheet metal. The skirt of the cap is provided with a bead comprising a charge confining portion 47 which is arranged to encompass the vessel wall and function as a constraining member to retain the sealing charge, and which is of ductile material of sufficient stability to sustain the con'ipressive forces induced in the sealing material. Within the member 4-7 is confined a charge of elastic sealing material, designated by the numeral. 48, and which preferably is in the form of a gasket of vulcanized rubber or similar compressible elastic material. In its original and natural form this gasket is preferably though not necessarily of quadrilateral cross-section as shown in Figure 1, and in this form it is assembled in the bead 41-7 before the closure is supplied to the packer. The bead may have its lower margin deflected inwardly, as shown in F igure 1, for the purpose of retaining the gasket in place, and the gasket preferably is orig inally of slightly greater internal diameter thanthe external diameter of the vessel wall upon which the cap is to be. seated, so that the cap may be applied to the vessel with facility. In the illustrated form of the closure, however, asshown in Figure 1, the

elastic sealing charge has an arcuate form, which is given it, after the cap has been applied to the vessel, preferably by a spinning operation. In Figures 1 to t inclusive is illustrated the progress of this operation, the reference numeral 17 designating a forming instrument in the nature of a spinning roller which may be operated by suitable mechanism to deform the ductile member 47 by progressive stages throughout its circumference. By this operation compression forces are gradually induced in the elastic gasket 48 so that the reaction of the elastic material is along lines converging from the arcuate retaining member 47 toward a common zone on the vessel wall. These forces are diagrammatically indicated by the arrows -19 and 50. The completed closure has the external form illustrated in Figure 5 and the cross sectional form illustrated in Figure 4.

By virtue of the form of this closure, the degree of compression in the seal may be varied in accordance with different requirements without loss of effectiveness. For illustration, if the spinning operation is discontinued when the charge retaining portion has been spun inwardly to the extent illustrated in Figure 3, the compression in the elastic sealing charge will be less, up on a vessel of a given size, than when the spinning operation is continued to the extent illustrated in Figure 4:. The extent of compression, obviously may be predetermined by suitable control or adjustment of the spinning mechanism.

Due to the arc-uate form of the gasket retaining member 47, the sealing charge is securely confined, so that it will not squeeze out from its effective position, while the elasticity of the quadrilateral gasket, thus com-pressed, maintains the desired close sealing pressure and contact against the vessel wall and the arcuate retaining member, to insure the permanence of the hermetic seal.

A seal of the character specified is one wherein the gasket has been acted upon locally by a rolling kneading action which brings the material of the gasket into intimate contact with the side wall. of the con tainer and forms a very etfecive seal, particularly in view of the fact that the gasket is restrained from lateral expansion.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent .is:

1. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a. peripheral wall surface adjacent its mouth; a closure covering the month; an elastic gasket of quadrilateral cross-section;

and a constraining member associated with said cover and embracing said gasket, a portion of said constraining member being spun into an arcuate cross-section against said gasket whereby said gasket is'evenly compressed against said peripheral wall by said arcuate constraining member.

2. A. sealed package comprising a vessel having a peripheral wall surface adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said month; an elastic gasket of quadrilateral cross-section and a constraining member associated with said cover and embracing said gasket, said constraining member being spun into an arcuate crosssection to compress said gasket longitudinally and radially and hold it evenly in contact with said wall.

3. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a sealing surface adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said month; an elastic gasket of quadrilateral cross-section; and a constraining member associated with said cover and embracing said gasket; said constraining member being spun into an arcuate cross-section to direct sealing forces radially from the arcuate portion of said constraining member to said sealing surface.

4. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a sealing surface adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said mouth; an elastic gasket; and a constraining member associ ated with said cover and embracing said gasket, 3 portion of said constraining memher being spun into an arcuate cross-section to compress said gasket longitudinally and radially and urge it with uniform force against said sealing surface,

5. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a peripheral sealing surface adjacent its mouth; a. closure covering said month; an elastic gasket; and a hollow bead associated with said closure and embracing said gasket, said bead being spun into an arcuate wall which exerts uniform sealing forces about the periphery of the vessel, the forces converging upon the sealing surface from the arcuate wall of the bead.

(5. A. sealed package comprising a vessel having a peripheral sealing surface adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said mouth; an elastic gasket of normal non-arcuate shape; and a hollow bead associated with said closure and embracing said gasket. said bead being spun to form an arcuate wall which sets up uniform sealing forces about the periphery of the vessel, said forces converging upon the sealing surface.

7. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a peripheral sealing wall adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said mouth;

a bead depending from said closure; and a gasket of quadrilateral cross-section in said bead, said bead having an arcuate wall spun after application of the closure, to set up uniform sealing forces about the peripheral sealing wall, said forces converging upon said wall from the arcuate wall of said bead.

8. A sealed package comprising a vessel having a peripheral sealing wall adjacent its mouth; a closure covering said mouth; a bead associated with said closure; and an elastic gasket within said bead, said bead being spun to compress said gasket into a substantially semi-circular cross-section and urge it with uniform force against said sealing wall regardless of irregularities in the form of said vessel.

9. A sealed package comprising arigid vessel having a sealing wall adjacent the mouth thereof; a closure covering the vessel, a bead depending from said closure and embracing the sealing Wall; and a gasket with in said bead, said gasket being deformed and held tightly against said sealing wall by deformation of the bead downwardly, inwardly and upwardly after application of the closure to the vessel.

10. A sealed package comprising a rigid vessel having a substantially cylindrical sealing wall adjacent the mouth thereof; a closure covering the mouth of the vessel, a bead depending from said closure and embracing the sealing wall; and a gasket within said bead, said gasket being deformed and held tightly against said sealing wall by deformation of the bead by forces angularly disposed to the axis of the cylindrical sealing wall after application of the closure to the vessel.

11. A sealed package comprising a rigid vessel having a sealing wall adjacent the mouth thereof; a closure covering the mouth of said vessel; a. bead depending from said closure and embracing the sealing wall; and a gasket within said bead, said gasket being deformed and held tightly against the sealing wall by deformation of said bead downwardly, inwardly, and upwardly after application of the closure to the vessel into an arcuate surface substantially enclosing the gasket except for the area supported by the sealing wall.

SIDNEY G. VESSY. 

